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Nick Kyrgios has reached the Wimbledon final but not in the way he would have envisaged.
The unseeded Australian beat Cristian Garin in straight sets on Wednesday to book a blockbuster first Major semifinal against two-time winner Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard recovered from two sets to one down to beat American Taylor Fritz in a fifth-set supertiebreak.
However, during his win over Fritz, Nadal seemed to sustain an abdominal injury, which inhibited his serve. The Spaniard got broken eight times in the match, the most times he has lost serve in a Wimbledon match, and victory came at a great personal cost.
A day later (Thursday), it was revealed that Nadal sustained a seven-inch abdominal tear. He tried to practice with a remodeled serve but to no avail and had to announce his withdrawal from the tournament to avoid aggravating his injury. That gave Kyrgios a free passage to the final.
"I have been suffering with pain in the abdominal ... there is a tear in the muscle," Nadal said in a press conference. "I made the decision because I don't believe I can win two matches under these circumstances."
Nick Kyrgios now awaits the winner of the first semifinal between three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic and Cameron Norrie on Friday.
By progressing to his first Major final, Kyrgios has accomplished a few milestones. Here's a look at three of them in no particular order:
#1 Nick Kyrgios is the first unseeded men's singles Grand Slam finalist in 14 years
Nick Kyrgios acknowledged in his press conference after his victory over Garin that he never thought he would be in a Grand Slam semifinal.
Things have gotten even better for the Australian, as he's through to the final without taking the court. Ahead of his third SW19 clash with second seed Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard withdrew after tearing his abdominal muscle.
In the process, Kyrgios is now set for the biggest match of his career on Sunday, where he'll gun for his maiden Major title. His semifinal walkover has made the 40th-ranked Australian the first unseeded men's singles Major finalist since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Tsonga made the 2008 Australian Open final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
Kyrgios will hope for better luck against the Serb, who's expected to beat Norrie in the semi-finals as he seeks his maiden Major title.
#2 Nick Kyrgios is lowest-ranked Grand Slam men's singles finalist in 16 years
Kyrgios is on a roll at Wimbledon this week. After beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in an ill-tempered four-set third round clash, the Australian was taken the distance by Brandon Nakashima in the next round.
However, the 27-year-old rediscovered his mojo in the last eight, upping his game in the crucial moments to down Cristian Garin in straight sets. It was his first Grand Slam quarterfinal in eight years, second overall, at Wimbledon.
After losing to Milos Raonic in a fourth-set tiebreak on that occasion, Kyrgios was in no mood for a repeat result against Garin. Following his walkover against Nadal in the semis, the Australian is now set for the biggest match of his career.
In the process, Kyrgios has become the lowest-ranked male player since Marcos Baghdatis (#54) at the 2006 Australian Open to make a Grand Slam singles final.
Baghdatis notably fell in four sets to a certain Roger Federer that year.
#3 Nick Kyrgios is first Australian men's singles Wimbledon finalist in 19 years
Nick Kyrgios needed five sets to get past Paul Jobb in his Wimbledon opener. He had a more comfortable outing in the next round against Filip Krajinovic, dispatching the Serb in straight sets.
In the third round, Kyrgios faced a tough test against Tsitsipas, recovering from a set down to prevail in a fourth-set tiebreak. The Australian was then taken to five sets by Nakashima before he beat Garin in three sets.
Following his walkover against Nadal in the semis, Kyrgios has become the first Australian to reach the Wimbledon final in 19 years since Mark Phillippoussis in 2003.
That was notably the year in which Roger Federer opened his Major account, winning the first of his five straight titles at Wimbledon. The Swiss would add three more in the next ten years.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
